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Imo: Pressure Group Urges Supreme Court Not To Sacrifice Our Democracy

A socio-political pressure group in Imo State, under the auspices of Concerned Imo Citizens Forum, has called on the Nigerian Supreme Court not to sacrifice the nation’s democracy and judiciary in on the alters of personal ambitions of some politicians.

The group also called on relevant authorities to do the needful and ensure that reputation, trust and confidence that Nigerian citizens had placed on the judiciary did not wane and die.

Addressing a press conference in Owerri on Monday, over the application by Emeka Ihedioha for the Supreme Court to review the judgement that sacked him as the governor of the state with a view to reversing itself, the coordinator of the group, Mr Kingsley Owunbiko expressed surprise that the Apex Court ignored some obvious errors to declare Senator Hope Uzodinma as the governor of the state.

“On the judgement by the Supreme Court of Nigeria on January 14, 2020, on the 2019 Imo State governorship appeal between Rt. Hon. Emeka Ihedioha and Senator Hope Uzodimma, our group having thoroughly studied the judgement and underscored the positions of INEC, the Tribunal, the Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court, concluded that based on observed copious errors of calculation which the apex court inexplicably ignored and went on to declare Senator Uzodimma winner of the election, we join the rest of the concerned world to condemn in its entirety, the highly questionable judgement by the Supreme Court,” Onwubiko said.

He said the 388 polling unit results which were used to declare Senator Hope Uzodinma as the Governor of Imo State showed that the total number of voters accredited for the Governorship Election held on 9th March 2019 in Imo State was 823,743, while the total valid votes cast was 731,485.

“With the inclusion of 213,695 votes for Hope Uzodinma and 1,903 to the votes of Emeka Ihedioha, as ordered by the Supreme Court, the total number of votes cast at the election then stood at 953,083 (i.e. 731,485 + 213,695 + 1,903) making the total number of votes cast at the election to be far in excess of the total number of voters accredited for the election, 129,340, a situation which the Electoral Act expressly deplores.

“It is unlawful for the total number of votes cast in an election to exceed the number of accredited voters and that illegality rendered the judgment sought to be set aside null and void.”

READ ALSO: Court Arraigns Woman Over Fraud Of N777,000

Onwubiko, therefore, called for the unhindered revisit and vacation of the judgement by the Supreme Court, saying, “We will not support any system that tends to rob Peter to pay Paul nor tolerate the system of people reaping where they did not sow.

“We believe that the only way to broker a generally acceptable solution to the quagmire is for the Supreme Court to re-visit and vacate the judgement and further return the democratically elected governor, Emeka Ihedioha back as the governor of Imo State having scored the highest number of votes and having been declared winner by INEC prior before now.

“We believe that by so doing the Supreme Court would have saved the country from further embarrassment and threats of dire consequences. Moreover, it will save its image and reputation and that of the entire Judiciary and legal profession from further downward slide”.

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